UNC volleyball player, coaches assist at local camp

By Adam Thompson, Sun Journal Staff

Published: Thursday, June 13, 2013 at 06:23 PM.

“The camp is to showcase to the kids around here what Division I volleyball looks like and to receive nationally accredited training and coaching from the staff at Carolina,” said Epiphany volleyball coach Darryl Radford. “It's a great opportunity for the kids here in Eastern North Carolina.”

UNC's volleyball team finished second in the Atlantic Coast Conference last season before losing to Iowa State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

LaReau, a rising junior, played in 56 games as a defensive specialist/libero.

The Richmond, Va. native is hoping the campers have fun and learn stuff in the process.

“I'm hoping they have fun and learn a lot, and learn something they can take back to their high school or middle school season,” LaReau said. “Right now we are working on serving and passing which are the two most important skills in volleyball.

“It's really important for them to learn how to do it at a young age.”

There is a mixture of different types of skill level. There are some with minimum experience and others with aspirations of one day playing college ball.

Shanice Frazier has a chance to be an impact player on Havelock's volleyball team in the fall.

In an attempt to improve her play, the rising junior is taking instruction and attending camps over the summer.

Frazier, and 34 other area high school volleyball players, are in the midst of a two-day camp hosted by The Epiphany School.

The camp, which got underway on Thursday, is instructed by North Carolina volleyball player Chaney LaReau, UNC assistant coach Tyler Adams and new Harvard assistant Arturo Rivera.

“I'm learning to pass better and learning a new technique of serving that I have never tried before,” Frazier said. “It's good that I can get started before my upcoming season.

“It's important to me because it gives me more experience so I can do something really big in the upcoming (high school) season.”

The camp is for girls between the grades of seventh to 12th. Players from New Bern High, Epiphany, Havelock and West Craven are registered for the camp.

“The camp is to showcase to the kids around here what Division I volleyball looks like and to receive nationally accredited training and coaching from the staff at Carolina,” said Epiphany volleyball coach Darryl Radford. “It's a great opportunity for the kids here in Eastern North Carolina.”

UNC's volleyball team finished second in the Atlantic Coast Conference last season before losing to Iowa State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

LaReau, a rising junior, played in 56 games as a defensive specialist/libero.

The Richmond, Va. native is hoping the campers have fun and learn stuff in the process.

“I'm hoping they have fun and learn a lot, and learn something they can take back to their high school or middle school season,” LaReau said. “Right now we are working on serving and passing which are the two most important skills in volleyball.

“It's really important for them to learn how to do it at a young age.”

There is a mixture of different types of skill level. There are some with minimum experience and others with aspirations of one day playing college ball.

The first day of the camp was focused more on fundamentals. Friday is expected to consist of more uptempo play and games.

“These camps are a great way, for kids who can't make it to our Carolina camps, for us to reach out to the community and teach volleyball to young kids,” said Rivera.

“We are trying to gauge where they are athletically and where their skill level is at. From there, we will continue to build at the camp and make it a little more aggressive and tailored toward their needs.”

For the girls who want to play at the next level, LaReau offered some advice.

“I tell them if you want to do it, you can as long as you work hard and stay dedicated,” LaReau said. “Passion and hard work are the two main things. As long as you want it bad enough then you can get it, if you believe in yourself.”

The camp runs from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. on Friday.

The UNC volleyball coaches and players visit in-state schools for camps in June. Their schedule is full of camps from July 11 until July 27.